Friday, January 01, 2016

North Pole Experienced 4 C (40 F) This Week, in the Dead of Winter

A weather anomaly sweeping across the world could cause temperatures at the North Pole to reach nearly 4 C this week.

Texas, Australia and England are just a few of the regions that have seen a spate of extreme weather this month, including tornadoes, brush fires and flooding. Now, forecasters say the North Pole is seeing temperatures well above normal.

CBC North's resident meteorologist, Ashley Brauweiler, says the severe weather system that wreaked havoc in the U.S. and beyond is the reason.

"We have temperatures above zero near the poles and that's because the jet stream is bringing that warm air from the south up and along Greenland and Iceland. While storms here are normal, the strength of the storm isn't," Brauweiler said.

"They're seeing the same storms that were affecting the southern [U.S.] states."

At the North Pole on Thursday, temperatures are expected to hit 3 C. On New Year's Day it will be nearly 4 C.